It's impossible to top a speech by Bill Withers, so host Paul Gambaccini doesn't even try - he simply says goodbye.

Bill was honoured on the night along with the likes of Pulp, Florence and Gary Numan.

Coldplay, Skepta and Michael Kiwanuka were among the prizes but the story of the afternoon is surely Laura Mvula - dropped by her record label - scooping best album.

Scroll down for more from the awards plus tributes to the singer Chris Cornell, who has died at the age of of 52.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts about Chris, on Twitter and on Facebook, external.

Kevin Titman said "The man was, is and will always be a legend with a legendary voice.

"I simply cannot get to grips with the idea of a world without Chris Cornell and therefore no Soundgarden."

Andrew McGuinness added: "Best voice in rock. 4 octave vocal range. Drop tuning master. Original grunge kid. #outshined, external

"Just pure rock god. And the original grunge kid who grew up to be a rock god for everyone," wrote Ben Paul Bedford Cowell.

Sheila Farris could only say "Just so sad."

We'll back back tomorrow with a Great Escape Festival special from Brighton, bringing you all the news and bands-to-watch from the annual event by the sea.

We'll leave you with a Soundgarden classic.

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Woop Woop! Funk legend George Clinton is in the house to give a special award to the one and only Bill Withers.

Bill can boast writing the song for the first dance at many weddings amongst his achievements...not that he knows.

Clinton said: ''The 1970s was special, colourful, psychedelic and loud.

"But out of the noise came the voice of a poet."

Bill then read out a specially written poem for the occasion before telling the tale of when Paul McCartney called him a "raconteur".

He had to look it up in the dictionary and apparently was surprised to find it had nothing to do with raccoons.

The 78-year-old said : "It's great to see I'm so well respected - while I'm still here,", adding songwriting is simply "dealing with feeling".

Fun fact: Bill sings 'i know' 26 times in Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone.

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It's been a good day at work for Skepta, who has been named songwriter of the year at the Ivor Novellos.

Earlier, he won best contemporary song.

He said he has "fallen in love" with songwriting and that people know when he goes through bad times that "uh,oh another song is coming".

Best joke of the afternoon went to his sister, Beats 1 DJ Julie Adenuga, who joked that someone snapped a picture of her thinking she was Laura Mvula.

Skepta's Boy Better Know crew were in the house and met his win with plenty of "Braaaaps".

..and a new song, and it's called The Two of Us and they played it live and it's from their new album Damage And Joy and you can hear it below.

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Gary Numan (scroll down to read about his love of Ariana Grande) has been presented with the Inspiration award at the Grosvenor House in London.

The 59-year-old singer said: "I've been doing this a long time and this is my proudest moment."

World musician Nitin Sawhney was also given a lifetime achievement award and soul legend and non-lover of new music (scroll down) Bill Withers was also given a special international award.

Nitin said: "Music is the most versatile language.

'I've had the most blessed and fortunate life through music."

He joins a list of previous winners including Damon Albarn and Pete Townshend.

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Laura Mvula for The Dreaming Room.

The singer beat Love and Hate by Michael Kiwanuka and Nick Cave's Skeleton Tree.

Laura came onstage in a glittery gold all-in-one suit and was shoeless (she apparently took her shoes off as she didn't think she'd win).

She thanked her mum, who wasn't there, as she was "tired of seeing her baby give the sad clap''.

Well guess what mum, your daughter is definitely phenomenal...

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Anne Dudley, who has written film scores for American History X and The Full Monty has taken home one of the honorary Ivors.

Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant, giving out the award, said he was "a big fan".

Previous winners of the award include David Bowie, Sir Ray Davies and Kate Bush, so she's in great company.

Anne thanked her husband and joked: "I've never publicly thanked him. I've never privately thanked him!".

Best television soundtrack went to War and Peace.

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Looking resplendent in a flowing red dress. Florence was presented the award by Jarvis Cocker, fresh from accepting his own award.

He compared Pulp's big break filling in for Glastonbury headliners The Stone Roses in 1995 to Florence stepping in for the Foos twenty years later in 2015.

She dedicated the award to her dad, who is here, saying he drove her band around the whole of Europe for their first tour, supporting MGMT.

She said: "I'm much better at singing than public speaking.

"It's amazing to think we've come from that to this.

"Thanks for having me."

Image source, Rock on the Range

Rock on the Range, external, the music festival in Columbus, Ohio, where Soundgarden were due to perform this weekend have posted a message calling him a "true hero to music".

A statement on their website added: "The voice of an angel, now watching down on us as we celebrate and honour him all weekend long"

Image source, Getty Images

Pulp!

Jarvis and co are recognised for their contribution to Britpop.

Factory Records designer Peter Saville is on hand to dish out the award.

Wearing a black polo neck and brown blazer and bending down to use the mic, the tall singer joked: "This microphone looks like a grey velvet bum to me. It's nice."

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Pulp's seminal 1995 album Different Class went four-times platinum.

"'We always wanted to be a pop group," admitted Jarvis. "Popular - not populist"

The singer also addressed Brexit calling it "a horrible word, almost as bad as Britpop".

Image source, Getty Images

British rapper Ghostpoet has unveiled a striking dystopian video for new track Immigrant Boogie.

The video was directed by Zhang + Knight, who have worked with artists like Mark Lanegan and Scandi-newcomer Skott.

The track is his first new material since his Mercury-nominated Shedding Skin album in 2015.

The artist, aka Obaro Ejimiwe, has called it "a first person account of a difficult journey across borders, partly intended to ask those who have questioned the arrival of refugees in recent times what they would do in the same situation".

The grime star's track Man Beat Mura Masa and Neiked to the title at the Ivors.

Sportingly sunglasses indoors, he thanked "Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age for clearing that sample."

He said Mob Marley's One Love inspired him and that he always tries to write "from true emotion".

"Power to true music!," he added.

Just for you Skepta...

The Ivors jazz award was dedicated to a "major force in the British jazz scene" Jon Surman.

Accepting the award, Jon said: !I've worked with lots of young people and I just want to say that it [jazz] is in good hands".

The Guardian

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More musicians such as St Vincent and Billy Idol have joined the growing list of tributes to Chris Cornell.

Writing in the Guardian, Alexis Petridis said anyone at Soundgarden's first ever UK gig at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies "might have got a vague inkling they were destined for bigger things".

Read more, external

Soul singer Bill Withers is not the man to go to for tips on new music it seems.

"I don't know, said the 78-year-old, "I'm probably like your grandfather or something.

"I drive round and listen to talk radio but I'm not one of those seekers of current events."

The singer, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, released his last full studio album in 1985 but effectively retired from music.

"Sometimes I hear something that strikes my fancy," he said at the Ivo Novellos, "Sometimes I hear something that makes me wanna throw up."

...is Michael Kiwanuka's Black Man In A White World.

He's in the States so isn't here to pick up his award.

His friend has revealed that he told him he would "write a song like Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye" and now he's done it.

He beat Overcome by Laura Mvula ft Nile Rodgers and the Mystery Jets' Telomere.

The first awards have been dished out at the Ivor Novellos in London.

Coldplay's Hymn for the Weekend won most performed work, beating another of their songs, Adventure of a Lifetime and Adele's When We Were Young.

Sadly, Chris Martin and co are not there to collect.

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Dario Marianelli (above) has also won best original film score for the Oscar-nominated animation Kubo and the Two Strings.

Electro veteran Gary Numan is at the Ivor Novellos.

We don't know if he got here by train or in cars.

Ahem...

He revealed to the BBC what music the next generation of Numans are digging right now.

He said: "I'm quite narrow in what I like

"My kids like Ariana Grande and think she's amazing and her songs are the best thing ever."

So Ariana if you're reading, you know who to cover next time you're in the Live Lounge.

BBC Culture
BBC Culture

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That's according to Dorian Lynskey writing for BBC Culture.

Radiohead's angst-ridden opus came at a time of prosperity and hope in mid-‘90s Britain – but its anxious mood was also "eerily prescient" he claims.

Read more

As we reported earlier this month, the band are releasing an anniversary edition of the album, including he lost track Lift.

Listen again to Ed O'Brien from the band on why it was never released.

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Laura Mvula is hoping to defy the record label that dropped her by winning her first Ivor today.

The singere is up against Mystery Jets and Michael Kiwanuka for best song, for her track Overcome.

She found out she had been dropped by Sony earlier this year by email.

She dressed like a winner in a rather revealing sparkling dress and said: "I'm chuffed to bits.

"I love this afternoon it's a special one. That's why I've got my glad rags out. I don't get them out for anything."

She added: "Just to sit down and have lunch with these legends is an honour."

The honour we are sure is mutual.

Image source, Getty Images

Thank you to everyone who has shared your memories of Chris Cornell, the hugely influential singer and songwriters who has died at the age of 52.

Police have now confirmed to the BBC that they are investigating the death as a "possible suicide".

Scroll back down for more on that plus tributes from the likes of Elton John, Nile Rodgers and Kiss's Paul Stanley.

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